A Florida redbelly turtle casts a suspicious look as he is being photographed on the grounds of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The redbelly turtle inhabits ponds, lakes, sloughs, marshes and mangrove-bordered creeks, in a range that encompasses Florida from the southern tip north to the Apalachicola area of the panhandle. Active year-round, it is often seen basking on logs or floating mats of vegetation. Adults prefer a diet of aquatic plants. The Center shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which encompasses 92,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 331 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, as well as a variety of insects.
Related posts
-
NASA honors fallen astronauts with ‘Day of Remembrance’ ceremony
NASA honored its fallen space explorers during its annual “Day of Remembrance” on Thursday (Jan. 23).... -
Growing up and going out: Beyond the cradle (op-ed)
Rick Tumlinson is the founder of SpaceFund, a venture capital firm investing in space startups. He... -
‘Star Wars: Episode I: Jedi Power Battles’ continues to be the most fascinating ‘The Phantom Menace’ tie-in video game
Somehow, Jedi Power Battles has returned. This won’t ring a bell if you’re a Star Wars...